Artu Beacon Hill

To celebrate a belated birthday, a few of us ventured over to the ever-cute Charles Street for a dinner at Artu Rosticceria & Trattoria the other night. Walking down the steps guarded by a lethargic little dog, I was surprised at how small and cavernous the space was. There were some 8 tables, and a large fireplace upon which all of the wines and liqueurs were kept, which I found rather fun.

Since Artu doesn't stock bottles of bubbly, we started with a round of individual bottles of Prosecco. Fun! I had never had Collabrigo Valdobbiadene Venet, but it was nice - not too sweet but very smooth. Along with our glasses of prosecco, we shared plate of the "Cozze e Calamari Fra Diavolo" which was mussels and calamari in spicy tomato sauce with strips of Italian bread for dipping. I'm a sucker for tentacles, and this dish had plenty! Sauce wasn't overly spicy, but great to mop up with the bread.

For my main dish I couldn't decide between the lobster ravioli special or the veal special, but luckily Chris agreed to split with me! The lobster ravioli was good, but I was somewhat underwhelmed - too much pasta, too little lobster/filling, but the sauce was nice and creamy and flavorful. The Veal Artu, as the special was called, was medallions of veal topped with smoked mozzarella, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, mushroom, and something else that escapes me. Nothing to write home about (just to blog, apparently), but with that combination of things you really can't go wrong.

Bryan stuck with the traditional and chose the eggplant and chicken parmigiana, which was " exactly what (he) wanted in all its crunchy, cheesy, carb-ridden, comfort-y goodness. (He)'d get it again, but could do without the penne." Our 4th, per the waitress's recommendation, ordered the Pollo Arrabiata, which was chicken breast, mushrooms, anchovies, capers, in a hot spicy tomato sauce. He said it was delicious, with just the right amount of spice.

We washed down a meal with a really nice bottle of chianti (Rocca delle Macie Riserva 2006 Chianti Classico), and even ordered a second bottle in lieu of dessert. Everyone loved it! Lucky for us, our wonderful waitress, who had provided us with just the perfect amount of attention without being too much, brought us a round of little shortcakes topped with delicious cherries, blueberries, and whipped cream on the house!

While I wouldn't say our meals at Artu were out of this world, the food was solid and the atmosphere and service couldn't be beat! I think we'd all happily return to grab a bite to eat.

Lala Rokh

I must admit, I hardly ever go to Beacon Hill in the summer....the amount of tourists on Charles Street usually is enough to deter me and drive me nutso but the rainy weather has seemed to keep some of the masses at bay, so I was more than happy to join my friend Julie for some good food and great company at Lala Rokh.

Lala Rokh is tucked away on Mt. Vernon street, right off of Charles St. The food is Persian and has won accolades from around the country. Seemingly small from the exterior, Lala Rokh is quite a large restaurant for the area with butter yellow walls, white table clothes, and warm lighting. Julie and I started off with some wine. The wine list was a good size with about 10 different types of wine by the glass (ranging from 7-12 dollars) and more half/full bottles that you could choose from. I got a delightful Riesling that paired perfectly with my main course.

We started off with appetizers.
(Now, before I begin, I have to tell you in advance: for some reason Lala Rokh does not publish their menu online or have take-home menus available (we thought that maybe the menu changes frequently?) so, being the consummate American, I found it very difficult to remember the names of the dishes we ordered, so you will have to pardon the lack of terms and just play along.)
We ordered two sets of appetizers. One appetizer was a beef croquet and was absolutely delicious. The croquet was a bit lemony and tangy and left our taste buds watering and wanting more. It was served with an awesome fig sauce that we happily slathered on. Our second appetizer was an eggplant tomato medley that was served chopped up—another good dish. It tasted a bit like tomato sauce (no complaints from me!). We ended up using our bread that we were given to scoop it up since it felt more like a dipping dish than something you'd eat with a fork.

For our main courses, I ordered the Loubia which is braised beef with green beans and cinnamon and pollo (pollo is not chicken, it's a type of flavored rice). The entrees were around $17-$22, but the portions were sufficient; and, by the end of my meal, I was full. My beef was excellent. It was slow-cooked, tender, and marinated with a mild sauce that reminded me of Indian food. Actually, to me, most of the food was similar in flavor to Indian food except less spicy (in my book, that's a big plus). Julie ordered another type of beef that had tomato in the sauce and it was excellent as well.

We opted out of dessert. Neither of us found anything that tickled our fancy too much. The desserts did look interesting though, most had some sort of rose water combination to them.

Overall, we had a fantastic dinner at Lala Rokh (in case you were wondering, it means Tulip Cheeks...don't worry, they explain on the back of the menu). The restaurant has a good atmosphere, great food, good portions, competitive prices, and the wait staff is friendly. If you love Indian food you will really like the food here as well. Definitely worth a trip to Beacon Hill....even in tourist season.

Deluca's Market

Ever wonder where all the quaint neighborhood markets are? The ones you always see on television with fresh cut flowers and a butcher who knows your name? Well, look no further than Deluca's Market on Charles Street in Beacon Hill.

Deluca's is a rambling store filled with basic supplies (milk, eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc) and, (more importantly) gourmet imported products from Italy, France, Germany...the list goes on.

Deluca's carries a wide selection of cheeses. From English Cheddar and Stilton to Italian Taleggio to French Morbier and Brillat-Savarin, the cheese prices are quite reasonable, especially for a small non-chain store. What I like about the cheese selection is that many of the varieties come in small sizes so you don't have to buy a whole block to taste it. We've made a few cheese plates using Deluca's cheeses and it's always exciting to watch our guests faces as they taste cheeses they have never heard of before and discover that they are now their favorite.

Deluca's carries its own line of products from ginger beer (I tried this tonight....it has a kick to it!) to jams and preserves to homemade BBQ sauce. The packaging carries their label (a hand-drawn red bull) and the items make for great housewarming presents or stocking stuffers for out-of-town guests.

One of my favorite things about Deluca's is that it carries Italian pottery. You may miss it at first, but if you look up you'll see shelves and nooks and crannies plus some walls lined with the stuff. From wine pitchers to salt boxes, these hand-painted gems are really fun to look at. The prices on the pottery are expensive but reasonable compared to other websites that sell them.

Downstairs in the basement is a pretty wide selection of wine. They carry wines from most wine-producing countries including South Africa. There are helpful signs on some of the bottles that point out if the wine is a good bargain or if it's a wine that's received high marks. Prices are a tad bit above average but nothing that would make you shudder.

Back upstairs, there is a nice selection of European cookies, my favorite being the red tins of Amaretti di Saronno cookies by Lazzaroni. My mother used to purchase them when I was little in NY at Zabar's. They're perfect for Christmas or for coffee with relatives. If you like amaretto, then these cookies are worth the trip alone.

My only complaint about Deluca's is that there's not one in the South End! If you're in Beacon Hill and looking for a great place to buy some gourmet treats or just to spend some time browsing the aisles, check out Deluca's Market, you won't be disappointed.